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Microstock Lessons

By Jim Pickerell | 1601 Words | Posted 10/16/2009 | Comments (3)

There are some who have been in the stock photo business for a long time who would like me to say that nobody can make any money selling microstock, or something along the lines of, "If you'll just license your images as rights-managed like I've always done, you'll get rich like I am." Such assertions are patently false and irresponsible to the next generation of photographers.

ASMP Contributes $150K to PLUS

By Julia Dudnik Stern | 86 Words | Posted 10/15/2009 | Comments

The American Society of Media Photographers has awarded $150,000 to the Picture Licensing Universal System Coalition.

SAA Completes Merger with AVA

By Julia Dudnik Stern | 212 Words | Posted 10/15/2009 | Comments

As planned, the Stock Artists Alliance has merged with the Alliance of Visual Artists, which now unites six photo industry groups and their 45,000 members. SAA's own membership now stands at over 400.

Masterfile Launches Referral Program

By Julia Dudnik Stern | 123 Words | Posted 10/14/2009 | Comments

Toronto-based Masterfile has announced the launch of an "Ambassador Program"--a North American referral program that pays fees.

Dreamstime Introduces Decor Offering

By Julia Dudnik Stern | 77 Words | Posted 10/14/2009 | Comments

Lookstat: Overcoming The Microstock Submission Headache

By Jim Pickerell | 605 Words | Posted 10/14/2009 | Comments (1)

The microstock submission process is an issue that frustrates many photographers. Lookstat simplifies this process for those more interested in spending their time taking pictures than sitting in front of a computer.

Microstock Sales: Top iStock Earners

By Jim Pickerell | 738 Words | Posted 10/13/2009 | Comments (10)

Kelly Thompson recently said: "Today, some artists are finding they can make a good living exclusively selling microstock. iStockphoto has many contributors making anywhere from $40,000 to $500,000 a year." Let's examine the earning potential based on the figures of some of iStock's top earners.

PicScout Image IRC: Industry Bodies, Agencies Enthusiastic

By Julia Dudnik Stern | 194 Words | Posted 10/13/2009 | Comments

Following last week's announcement of a new services platform, PicScout released a statement full of enthusiastic testimonials by managers of professional associations and agencies in the U.S. and abroad.

Tom Grill to Launch spAmerica

By Julia Dudnik Stern | 71 Words | Posted 10/12/2009 | Comments

Social Network, Blog Site Ad Spend up 119%

By Julia Dudnik Stern | 190 Words | Posted 10/12/2009 | Comments

Latest Nielsen Company figures estimate that online advertising spending on the top social network and blogging sites has increased 119% to $108 million since August 2008. Such sites' share of overall online ad spending has more than doubled during the same time period, rising from 7% to 15%.

About Michael Masterson

Michael Masterson has a broad range of experience in marketing, business development, strategic planning, contact negotiations and recruiting in the photography, graphic design and publishing industries. In addition to his long experience at the Workbook and Workbookstock, Masterson owned and was creative director of his own graphic design firm for several years.

Masterson has been a speaker or panelist at industry events such as Seybold, PhotoPlus Expo, Visual Connections and the Picture Archive Council of America (PACA) national conference. He is currently the national president of the American Society of Picture Professionals (ASPP). He also serves on the board of the Silver Lake Neighborhood Council in his Los Angeles community. He chaired the marketing committee for the Los Angeles Conservancy, a historic preservation advocacy group, for many years.

He currently heads Masterson Consulting, working on projects ranging from business development for creative companies and sourcing talent for them to promoting and marketing industry events as well as providing resume and professional profile services for job-seekers. He can be reached at zvpunryqznfgrefba@tznvy.pbz.